Briley: First-growth bordeauxs are among the finest wines in world

When I was first learning about wine and I visited tasting rooms in California, it was common for me to be presented with wines called "Meritage."

When I asked about the wine I would be told it was a Bordeaux-type blend. I nodded my head, but did not understand what they meant and certainly did not want to ask in front of everyone in the tasting room. I came home and looked it up. Later in my wine studies program, I learned more about Bordeaux than I probably wanted to know.

France itself can be confusing, as most of its wines are not labeled with the wine varietal, but by the region they come from. Bordeaux is one of those regions. This region is very special. Wines from this area are recognized by many as the best in the world. Not only are Bordeaux wines known for their quality, they also rank as the world's most expensive wines.

In what is known as the 1855 classification, Napoleon III directed the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce to group the châteaux by the selling price of their wines. Sixty-one wineries were classified from first to fifth growths. The hundreds of wineries selling wines for less than a fifth growth did not receive any classification and many sub regions in Bordeaux were not considered in the classification.

Today there are five first growths. In the 1855 classification, Chateau Marguex, Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut-Brion, and Chateau Lafite-Rothschild were the only ranked first growths, but Chateau Mouton-Rothschild petitioned the government for 20 years and was eventually given first-growth status in 1973. This is the only change that has occurred since 1855. However, many sub regions not included in the original classification are producing outstanding wines and several experts think many are better than some of the first growths. One such sub region is Pomerol; home to Chateau Petrus whose 2005 vintage scored 100 points, with a release price of $4,950 a bottle. Château Petrus is known as the unofficial first growth. Do not be scared away by first growth prices as many second through fifth growths are very affordable and very good.

The laws in France state that only certain red grapes can be grown in Bordeaux. The five primary grapes that can go into Bordeaux are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec. They are always cabernet sauvignon or merlot-based.

The determination of what the dominate grape will be is usually decided by geography. Most cabernet sauvignon-based Bordeaux are from the left bank of the Garonne River and commonly known as "left bank" Bordeaux. Merlot-based Bordeaux mainly come from the right bank of the Dordogne River and are called "right bank" Bordeaux.